Compare Uncharted Isthmus! Sloths, Monkeys & Mangroves by Un-Cruise Adventures vs Flavors of Costa Rica by Tours of Distinction
Compare details and see what other travelers are saying.
| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Price From | $ 2,995 | $ 3,199 |
| Price Per Day | $ 374 | $ 400 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small ship cruise | Small group tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Premium |
| Physical Level |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Airfare included |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included | N/A |
7 Breakfasts | 3 Lunches | 7 Dinners |
| Description |
Tap into all your senses on our Costa Rica & Panama adventure cruise—especially your sense of wonder. It’s more than simply seeing the remarkable. Hike through lush jungle, watching for colorful macaws and hummingbirds, slow moving sloths, screeching howler monkeys, expressive white-faced capuchins, and capricious squirrel monkeys in the canopy above. Investigate the multi-colored menagerie of a coral reef by snorkel. Navigate alluringly beautiful and secluded island coves and mangrove forests by kayak and skiff. And witness the incredible engineering feat that is the Panama Canal. As the voyage unfolds, you’ll find yourself thriving through adventure, relaxation, and eye-opening experiences, uncovering a new side of the good life aboard the Safari Voyager. Pura vida! |
This tour of Costa Rica teems with curious wildlife, endless beaches, tropical rainforests and rumbling volcanoes. Discover San Jose, Tortuguero, Arenal and Manuel Antonio! There is something to refresh everyone’s sense of fun and adventure. Come along and discover Costa Rica at its finest. Refresh yourself on our 8-day fully inclusive and guided tour. |
Day 1: San José, Costa Rica – Embarkation
Welcome to the land of pura vida! On arrival in the capital city of San José, you’ll be transferred to our hospitality area to join your fellow adventurers. After everyone has gathered, travel to the Playa Herradura on the Pacific Ocean, where you’ll board the Safari Voyager and meet your enthusiastic crew.
Day 2: Curú National Wildlife Refuge / Isla Tortuga
Kick off your week of adventure on the southeastern tip of Nicoya Peninsula—untamed wildlife, lush scenery, and active recreation. Local “residents” include a variety of different animal, reptile, avian, and insect species, including frigate birds and hummingbirds, and army ants and butterflies. Hike in Curú National Wildlife Refuge—a prime place to inspect diverse flora and fauna. Off shore, the coconut palm-lined beaches of Isla Tortuga offer inviting tranquility. Snorkel, kayak, and paddle board in vibrant, turquoise waters, or sit back and relax on a warm, sandy beach.
Day 3: Manual Antonio National Park
Boasting 109 species of mammals, over 330 bird species, and abundant marine life among its incredibly diverse plant life, Manual Antonio National Park provides endless opportunity for discovery. On a jungle hike, keep your eyes tuned to the canopy above, watching for two- and three-toed sloths, white-faced capuchins, scarlet macaws, many-colored tanagers, coatis, iguanas, and other colorful and camouflaged creatures. And, keep your ears tuned for the screeching of howler monkeys.
Day 4: Corcovado National Park
The remote Osa Peninsula is home to the country’s largest national park, Corcovado. Isolated and wild, adventure lies around every bend. Known for its diverse plant and animal species including all four of Costa Rica’s monkeys, tree frogs, caimans, anteaters, scarlet macaws, coatis, and 16 different species of hummingbird, explore this vast park putting feet to trail on an invigorating hike through the jungle. At the end of the day, enjoy the sunset with a tropical beverage in-hand during cocktail hour and retell stories of the day with your travel-mates.
Day 5: Golfo Dulce
A birder’s paradise, explore a tropical botanical reserve exploding with vibrant color. From bromeliads, ginger plants, and heliconias, to toucans, hummingbirds, mischievous monkeys, and fluttering butterflies—there’s a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and tastes in every tree and bush you pass on your walking tour. In Golfo Dulce, which separates Oso Peninsula from the mainland, explore the rare flora and fauna of mangroves by kayak and skiff.
Day 6: Granito de Oro, Coiba National Park, Panama
Sail through the islands of Coiba National Park, making a stop at the postcard-perfect Granito de Oro islet. Offering a little bit of everything despite its small size, volcanic outcroppings at either end of this tiny landmass and a dense, mini-jungle in the center are connected by gorgeous white sand beach. Named one of the world’s top 10 diving sites, your day of play features snorkeling among abundant marine life, kayaking around rocky outcroppings, and lounging on the warm sand. It’s another perfect day in paradise.
Day 7: Gulf of Panama Islands / Panama Canal
The diverse islands and islets in the Gulf of Panama are all unique, and on your last day, its captain’s choice as you cruise among them. Hosting hundreds of avian species, you may enjoy superb bird watching on an exciting skiff exploration, or stroll a charming coastal village that boast’s Panama’s oldest church. Later today, prepare to experience one of the top bucket-list destinations—transit from ocean to ocean along the 48-mile Panama Canal. Truly a marvel of engineering and human tenacity, it took 9,000 workers to build it. Celebrate this absolutely unforgettable voyage with a special farewell dinner, and then join your expedition team for a slideshow highlighting the week’s adventures.
Day 8: Panama City – Disembarkation
Enjoy an early breakfast aboard the Safari Voyager and bid your crew farewell. You’ll disembark in Colón and be transferred to the Panama City airport for your flight home or to begin your Un-Cruise hotel stay.
Day 1 - Arrive San Jose, Costa Rica
Transfer to the airport and board your flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. Upon arrival in San Jose, we transfer to our hotel. Once settled, we get together for a welcome cocktail and dinner. (D)
Day 2 - San Jose - Tortuguero National Park
Our Costa Rica adventure truly begins today. Enjoy some coffee and biscuits before departing to a remote area of Tortuguero. On the way, we will stop in Guapiles town for a hearty breakfast. After, we continue to a pier where our boat to Tortuguero awaits. Upon arrival, we check-in and enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, we visit Tortuguero village and the Turtle Museum.
Tortuguero, is one of the rainiest regions of the country, and it shelters the biggest biological variety of the nation; 11 habitats were identified so far in the park. The forest is the most important area of the coastline where coco palms are abundant.
We return to our lodge for an evening of rainforest pleasure and dinner. (B,L,D)
Day 3 - Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica
After breakfast, we enjoy a boat tour in the morning to the small canals for wildlife observation. Tortuguero National Park, with its 21,000 hectares of preserved tropical rain forest, provides one of the best opportunities to experience a wide range of tropical wildlife. We hope to spot a variety of monkeys, toucans, green macaws, and caimans, among others, while gliding through the vine laden canals with our naturalist guide.
After, we return to lodge for lunch. Later, we enjoy a small hike on the lodge’s trails. (B,L,D)
Day 4 - Tortuguero National Park - Arenal
This morning, we transfer by boat back to La Pavona pier and continue by bus to Guapiles where we will enjoy a delicious lunch. After lunch, we are lead over to la Fortuna de San Carlos where the impressive Arenal Volcano resides. La Fortuna de San Carlos is home to one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world. Cloud forests, a beautiful volcanic lake and an incredibly diverse population of wildlife is just part of what we will find in this amazing area of Costa Rica. Near the volcano, you will find the largest lake in Costa Rica, Lake Arenal. After, we check in at our hotel and enjoy a welcome drink. There will be time to relax and refresh before our wine and cheese cruise on Lake Arenal. We return to the hotel for dinner in these beautiful surroundings. (B,L,D)
Day 5 - Arenal
Adventure awaits today! After breakfast, we visit the Sky Adventure facilities. Here, we will have the opportunity to observe the forest from a different perspective and have some fun! Sky Walk (Hanging bridges), Sky Trek (Zipline) & Sky Tram are all included; the choice is yours. The Sky Walk is an impressive series of bridges and paths. Here, we can experience spectacular views. Several bridges take us alongside the tree canopy, some of which have colonized the bridges. We may even spot birds and howler monkeys at their own level.
The Sky Tram is a 20-minute aerial tram tour that reaches a wide observation deck at the highest point of the Arenal Reserve where we can observe the rain forest, Arenal volcano, and lake. Sky Trek is all about getting active above the treetops. It consists of a system of zip lines that allow us to observe the rainforest and its landscape from a different perspective.
After we travel to Don Juan Chocolate for a chocolate and coffee tour. Here, we will get the chance to learn the importance and history of coffee to ‘Tico’ culture and Costa Rica’s development. Then, we continue with our chocolate tour – the perfect compliment to coffee! We experience the aromas and history, and participate in the chocolate making process.
Return to the hotel later this afternoon. Take some time to relax and use our hotel’s facilities and hot Springs. (B,D)
Day 6 - Arenal – Manuel Antonio
This morning, we have breakfast at our hotel then head out for Manuel Antonio. On the way south, we will stop at the Tárcoles River to appreciate the Crocodiles as well as the Guacalillo mangrove. The river of Tárcoles offers us the opportunity to observe American Crocodiles with sizes over the four meters long, iguanas and basilisks in their natural environment. Specialized bilingual guides will accompany us offering wide educational information on the biology of the crocodiles and diverse aspects of the ecology of this natural refuge. During the tour we enter the Guacalillo Channel, an estuary where there are four different species of mangrove (black, red, white and buttonhole) that constitute an important refuge for the red macaw.
After, we continue to Manuel Antonio. Upon arrival, we check-in to our hotel and have dinner. Manuel Antonio is a small oceanside village tucked into nature. Famous for its national park, this tiny yet bustling town is located off Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast and without a doubt, is one of the country’s most celebrated spots. (B,D)
Day 7 - Manuel Antonio
Today, we journey to nearby Manuel Antonio National Park. Manuel Antonio National Park is 7,000 acres; however, it also has an additional 136,000 acres of a Marine Park Reserve. It is one of the smallest and most popular national parks in Costa Rica. The protected rainforests of Manuel Antonio National Park provide a home for 350 species of birds and 109 species of mammals. Among the birds native to the region, we may see scarlet macaws, toucans, motmots, parakeets, hawks and tanagers. Of course, the most popular animals are the various monkey species that call Manuel Antonio National Park home. White-faced capuchin, spider and mantled howler monkeys may greet us. Once inside the park, we may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the endangered red-backed squirrel monkey. Other commonly seen animals include both two- and three-toed sloths, coatimundis, peccaries, iguanas and armadillos, as well as a host of reptile and amphibian park dwellers.
We return to our hotel for some time at leisure. Enjoy the pristine beaches, shop the local markets or relax by the pool. (B,D)
Day 8 - Depart Manuel Antonio
After breakfast this morning, we transfer to the airport and board the flight home. The tour may be over, but the memories of all the beautiful places we have visited on this trip will stay with you. (B)
